Guest

You know when you phone gas company the water board NTL. You get these options. A message that all lines are busy and that you been put on hold. Thats the sort of call were talking about hear ok.

Do you pay to call 0870 numbers and the like if you do and you get put on hold lines busy. Our representative will be with you as soon as and all that. Am i right in thinking that all the time your holding on. your making them money so they made 50p from you for telephoning them, to complain.

Dad phoned up Scan international this morning. could not belive the amount of time he was holding on. In the end put the phone down. When we bought the Dell computer. the phone bill for that call was well..

Ensure that you have a cost effective, fast & reliable 0870 provider for your business phone lines and improve ways for your customers to contact you through our range of advanced 0870 phone call forwarding services. Known as National Rate numbers, 0870 numbers have high public awareness and will give your business a national identity.

Buy your 0870 telephone number online in 4 easy steps or explore other non geographic numbers such as 0871 Numbers to earn up to 6p per minute rebate for the calls you receive.

Active Member

Even 0845 numbers can generate revenue for the owner. Calling these numbers isn't usually included in any call allowance you may have either. So if you have a number of free calls in your rental package you will still be charged for calls to 084 and 087 numbers.

Active Member

I was on the phone to parcelforce the other day. That was on an 0870 number too, and lasted ages (mainly because I was stuck listening to menu options). The thing that annoyed me though was that you went through all of these options (press 1 if you want to send a parcel, press 2 if you want to track a parcel etc.) then when you got to speak to someone they said "How can I help you". Surely they should know how because you've told them by the number you've pressed??? It's like NTL ask you to enter your phone number, I don't know why, it doesn't seem to do anything except waste time.

Well-known Member

however......before people go overboard.......some companies need to operate an 0870 number so they can run their contact centre, otherwise you'd just pay more for the service......

however 0845 numbers often cost a company money, they will almost never make any profit from.....BT however might make money from it....

obviously 0800 dont cost the customer unless they call from certain mobile network plans......however they do cost the company a lot of money sometimes....guess what, you still pay, they just incorporate the cost in to whatever it is you buy/rent/etc from them....

doesnt matter what the number is, you will be paying in the long run...

as for the saynoto0870 web address, most companies have cottoned on to this......phone them up on the freebie number and ask for a transfer and most will say please phone the 0870 number if the dept you require is on that system......sometimes you get lucky and they either arnt aware or they just couldnt give a monkeys or have a beef with their employer and transfer you anyhow...lol

Well-known Member

Or Credit card companies. After a bewildering choice of options, you eventually press the key to connect to the department you require, you then get more options
Press 1 to check your current balance etc etc. Just a few more options to navigate and you're almost home.

Just as you begin to get the first twinges of RSI, you are then asked to key in your 16 digit card number. Desperately trying to get it right, you glance frantically between the keypad and your card. Now key in your date of birth.....easy peasy.....now key in your 3 digit security code....flick the card over to check.....done...now key in the 4 digit security code for your account...Thank you, please hold to talk someone who is bored already and doesn't give a toss if your PIN isn't working.

Hello, I'm Mark. Can I just ask you a few security questions? OK, what is your card number?
Er, the one I keyed in which is, no doubt, sitting right in front of you on your computer screen..it being the very method I used to get here.
Thank you, and your date of birth?
Er, On your screen, just below the card number.
And your 3 digit security code, sir?
I'll give you one guess..hint, it's the third from the top on your screen.
And your account security code, sir?
There's always a tough one.....but I'll risk guessing that it's sitting right under the last number I gave you.
Thank you sir, and now, how can help you?
What?
How can I help you today sir?
Oh right. Well, my PIN seems to have stopped working, so I can't use my card.
Are you using the correct PIN?
Yes, the same one I've been using for 2 years.
Did you enter the PIN correctly?
Yes.
Well, sir, I can't access PIN information. You'll have to request a new PIN.....I'll just put you through to our PIN Request Department.
If you want to find out how to change your PIN, Press1, to request a new PIN press 2
Wow, we're in the clear...only two options. A quick press of 2
Thank you. Please enter your 16 digit card number,it's the long number on the front of your card..............................................................................................................

Active Member

I work in a call centre (shelters from the things thrown ) and on some of the lines, it asks you to enter information. We do not get this info infront of us, it is just to make sure you are entitled to call that number (freephone for new cmrs), hence we have to ask for the details when you get through.

I'm not too sure if this is the same for other call centres, as this is the only one I have worked in, and hopefully for not much longer!

Active Member

In the last company I worked for it was one of my jobs to arrange the non-geographic numbers. Whilst the 0870 numbers generated revenue from day 1 the 0845 numbers generated revenue once a certain call level threshold had been achieved. The choice to use an 0845 number was not based on the possibility of raising revenue though, it was chosen because a portable number was required. Choosing an 0870 number was made to discourage unnecessary calls to the support staff; most callers just couldn't be bothered reading the manuals. The company had an 0800 number for a while and people would call that just to ask for advice on other products not manufactured by the company.

Well-known Member

forgot to add, the person you often get through, they do have to be paid dont forget.....now if its an Indian based called centre fair enough, the wage level is low, but if its a UK call centre, they are often on quite good wages nowadays for the type of job.....so revenue from calls often goes towards paying for them......

Well-known Member

I hate it so much when you phone your broadband supplier up because it aint working and before they even attempt to connect you and put you on hold they tell you to go to the website.

WELL, i wouldnt be ringing if i could get onto their website now would i. And then while on hold it constantly repeats the website as i get more and more frustrated until i get connected just before my vein pops out of my forehead.

Well-known Member

I rememer the days when it was possible to get an engaged tone when phoning a utility company and therefore not get charged anything.
Not so anymore, now you're connected and put on hold and the meters running..."Please hold your call is important to us". YOU BET IT IS, EVERY MONEY MAKING MINUTE OF IT!"

Distinguished Member

forgot to add, the person you often get through, they do have to be paid dont forget.....now if its an Indian based called centre fair enough, the wage level is low, but if its a UK call centre, they are often on quite good wages nowadays for the type of job.....so revenue from calls often goes towards paying for them......

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But an issue for many people is when calling to get something fixed or complain about a service for which they have already paid for. It appears to add insult to injury that you now have to pay to get a remedy for which the seller should be entirely responsible. Why should I have to pay to call a company ask them to fix something which was a result of their shoddy product or poor service in the first place?